PREVENTING THE INUNDATIONS. 365 
great dikes after the Indian plan. A new viceroy, 
however, having recently arrived, who had never 
witnessed the effects of an inundation, ordered Mar- 
tinez to stop up the subterraneous passage, and make 
the water of the upper lakes return to the bed of the 
Tezcuco, that he might see if the danger were really 
so great as it had been represented. Being con- 
vinced that it was so, he ordered the German to re- 
commence his operations in the gallery. The engi- 
neer accordingly proceeded to clear it, and con- 
tinued working until the 20th June 1629, when 
finding the mass of water too great to be received 
by this narrow outlet, he closed it in order to prevent 
its destruction. In the morning the city of Mexico 
was flooded to the depth of three feet, and, con- 
trary to expectation, remained in that state for five 
years. In this interval various plans were pro- 
posed for draining the neighbouring lake, although 
none of them was carried into effect ; but the inun- 
dation at length subsided in consequence of a suc- 
cession of earthquakes. 
Martinez, who had been imprisoned from a belief 
that he had closed the gallery for the purpose of af- 
fording the incredulous a proof of the utility of his 
work, was now set at liberty, and constructed the 
dike of San Christobal. He was ordered to enlarge 
the gallery; but the operations were conducted with 
very little energy, and in the end it was determined 
to abandon the plan, to remove the top of the vault, 
and to convert it into an open passage by cutting 
through the hill. A lawyer, named Martin de Solis, 
undertook the management of this enterprise; though 
it required nearly two centuries to complete the 
work ; the canal not being opened in its whole length 
